


in the dark of night

by ralf



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22303006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ralf/pseuds/ralf
Summary: Neither of them sees the demon coming before it's too late.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 23
Kudos: 185





	in the dark of night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bohemian (Linguam)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linguam/gifts).



> Happy anniversary, dearest! I'm so excited for you to read this fic. I tried to tailor it exactly to your tastes and I hope it's a success XD Please enjoy <3<3<3

A cool breeze washes over them as they leave the restaurant and Magnus is entirely unsurprised when Alec reaches down to lace their fingers together. He hides his smile in the collar of his coat, glad that they decided to walk home instead of portalling. Something about the careful way Alec holds his hand never fails to make his heart trip over itself.

Alec's phone buzzes and he checks it with a frown which quickly turns into an eye-roll. Magnus knows that face. “What did Jace do this time?”

In answer Alec tilts the screen so Magnus can see. It shows a picture of Magnus and Alec sitting in the restaurant they just left, shot through the window. Magnus is studying the dessert card while Alec is staring at him with an expression that can only be described as starstruck. The caption of the picture reads  _Play it cool, lover boy, or you'll scare him off ;)_

Magnus chuckles. “I didn't know Jace was so desperate for date tips that he started stalking us.” He squeezes Alec's hand, catching his eyes. “But I get it. We  _are_ the perfect couple after all.”

The pleased smile on Alec's face sends tingles through Magnus's chest.

“Jace is still getting an earful for slacking off during patrol. He knows that there's been an increase in demon activity these past few days and that he should be on high alert.”

Magnus bumps their shoulders together. “Don't be too hard on him.”

“You defending Jace? That's new,” Alec huffs, amused.

“What can I say? He earned himself some of my goodwill with that photo. Send it to me?”

Alec peers at him with narrowed eyes. “You expect me to send you compromising pictures of myself? Never.”

Magnus shrugs. “I'll get my hands on that photo, one way or another.”

“Oh yeah? How?” Alec asks challengingly. “We both know you can't get into my phone.”

It's true. Since Alec's phone is connected to the Institute's defense system it's protocol that no one but him can have access to it. Alec takes that very seriously and while he was self-conscious about guarding his phone so closely at first Magnus told him it was fine. He respects Alec's work ethics and it's not like he lets the records of his clients lie around either.

But he can win this one easily even without access to Alec's phone. Allowing himself a smirk he says, “I'll just ask Jace to send it to me.”

Alec blinks, no doubt realizing that Jace will jump at any given opportunity to embarrass him. “Dammit.”

“No worries, love. I can dig up an old photo album and show you some compromising pictures of my own.”

Alec chuckles. “Does that mean you'll finally show me that infamous photograph of you in acid washed jeans?”

“Alexander!” Magnus exclaims in utter betrayal. “I thought we'd agreed to never mention this again.”

“I agreed to nothing,” Alec replies airily, turning off from the busy street into a smaller alley that will lead them home quicker.

“The audacity,” Magnus grumbles. “Just for this I'm making the restaurant snapshot my phone's new wallpaper.”

“That would actually be a step up. If you're really doing this I'll send you the picture myself.”

Alec has had it out for Magnus's wallpaper since the moment he set it a few weeks ago. It shows Alec's sleep-grumpy face mushed into golden sheets and never fails to make Alec pout whenever he catches sight of it. Magnus is just contemplating if missing out on that pout is worth it when Alec goes tense beside him. A second later he releases Magnus's hand and draws the blade he never leaves the house without.

This can only mean that the increased demon activity caught up to them. Magnus examines their surroundings and makes out movements in the half-dark ahead of them. Calling his magic to the tips of his fingers he shares a look with Alec and they creep closer.

“Mantids,” Alec whispers. “They attack in packs of three.”

Magnus raises his hand, ready to strike but Alec scoffs and steps in front of him. “Please Magnus, I'm a Shadowhunter. I can handle three demons.”

He stalks towards the boxes and crates the demons are hiding in without making a sound. The demons don't stand a chance. A few well-aimed slashes and a jab later demon ichor drips off Alec's blade and Edom is returned three of her inhabitants. He looks over his shoulder. “See?”

“Show-off,” Magnus teases fondly, quenching the sparks in his hand.

“You know you love it,” Alec quips and Magnus delights at his playfulness.

Neither of them sees the fourth demon coming before it's too late.

It jumps straight at Alec's unprotected side, tearing through his shirt. Magic whips from Magnus's fingers without a conscious thought, rushing to protect.

Alec is quicker. He cuts the demon down and it desintegrates with a shriek, but the damage is already done. Blood wells up from the cut in Alec's stomach, darkening the tatters of his shirt and flowing thickly down his side. His blade hits the ground with a clatter.

Magnus runs to him and catches him around the shoulders right before Alec's legs give out. They both go down but at least Magnus manages to soften their fall. He lays Alec down as gently as he can, heart frozen in his chest.

Alec's eyes are fluttering, his breath heavy but his fingers have already found his stele and he tugs it from the holster. His hand moves towards his healing rune but there's so much blood and Magnus can't take another second of it. His magic bursts from his hands and slams into the wound.

Electricity crackles along his bones and he almost staggers back when his magic rebounds, hitting a resistance and flushing back against him forcefully.

“It's not working,” Alec pants, fingers slipping on his stele, wet with blood.

Magnus's heart kicks into overdrive. He pushes the torn shirt aside and his breath catches. The wound cuts cleanly through the healing rune's top curl, ruining it.

“Your healing rune is damaged. You need to draw a new one,” Magnus presses.

“M'stele,” Alec whispers, voice rough, chest heaving.

The device escaped his slippery grasp. Magnus grabs it from the cold asphalt, shoving it back into Alec's hand and fumbling it to a patch of unmarred skin on his stomach. “Please, Alec, draw a new one!”

Alec's fingers twitch, his grip slackening. His eyes fall close. He's lost consciousness.

“No no no no.” Desperation claws at him with sharp fangs. “Alec, wake up.” Magnus slaps his cheek, firmly. It doesn't work. He's lost too much blood already.

Fighting back a sob he presses his hands over the wound to staunch the blood flow, reaching out again with his magic. The destroyed rune is soaking the tissue underneath with corrupted angelic energy. It's blocking him out. He can't reach the wound. His magic is useless.

His _magic_ is useless.

He snatches the stele from Alec's limp hand, forcing his panicking mind to focus. If he can use seraph blades maybe he can use a stele too. He just needs to draw the rune and Alec will be alright.

He presses the tip of the stele to Alec's bloodied skin.

Nothing. No spark of recognition in the angelic metal, no flaring of a new rune.

Magnus's throat closes up. “Come on, come on.”

He pushes the stele harder into Alec's flesh.

Nothing.

“ _Please.”_

A new swell of blood pours down Alec's side. He's running out of time. He's running out of time and there's nothing he can do.

He struggles to breathe, heart pounding in his temples. Fear pushes the air from his lungs. He can't lose Alec.

Jace.

Jace can heal him.

Magic surges through Magnus of its own accord, manifesting his phone in his hand. His fingers slip on the screen, wet with Alec's blood. The screen doesn't respond. He's running out of time. Panic chokes him. His magic goes haywire, shooting through the phone.

It cracks and the screen goes black.

No.

_No._

His heart races its terror against his throat. The phone crumbles and with it Magnus's only chance to save Alec. There's nothing he can do. He's powerless to stop this.

He calls on his magic again even though it's hopeless, pressing his hands to Alec's stomach. He can feel the tear in Alec's insides but he can't _reach_. Tears run down his face. He pushes more, stronger, with everything he has.

Alec's lifeless body jerks with the strain of energy, but his wounds don't close.

“Please,” he begs. _“Please.”_

His vision swims, blood gushing hot over his hands. Alec's heartbeat weakens. His breaths grow shallower. He's dying and there's nothing Magnus can do. Nothing but watch the love of his life bleed out in his arms.

He screams. His fingers dig into Alec's ashen skin, his magic flares around him, his throat raw with the agony permeating his soul. He screams.

Sound and light blur together. Time stops. Gravity shifts. Magnus's heart breaks. All he sees is Alec's bloodied face.

Shuffling. Jostling. Noise. Brightness.

Blond. Multi-colored eyes. Jace.

Magnus blinks. Pain explodes across his being. He _aches_.

Jace is forming words but they don't register.

He cups Magnus's face in his hands, snapping him back into himself. It's a jarring sensation, foreign, wrong. He's forgotten what hands other than Alec's feel like on his skin.

“Magnus. Breathe.”

As if by command Magnus sucks in air, a harsh breath rushing through his lungs. Reality washes over him like ice water. His eyes dart to Alec. He's still lying there, motionlessly, pale, deathly still. Magnus's breaths start quickening again. No.

Jace pulls him in close, cradling Magnus's head against his shoulder. “Alec is strong. He'll make it.”

A garbled sound escapes Magnus.

Jace squeezes his neck. “The rune took effect. Just give him a minute. Breathe. In and out.”

He obeys shakily. Alec's fingers twitch. Magnus's heart clenches.

Breathe. In. Out

Jace squeezes his neck again. “Alec used to talk me down when I had nightmares as a kid. Did he ever tell you that?”

In. Out.

Alec's chest rises and falls steadily. Alive.

Magnus closes his eyes, but the tears keep falling. Alive.

“Thanks for finding me, by the way,” Jace murmurs. “Didn't know you could portal people like that but, ah, good timing.”

Magnus didn't know that either. He vaguely recognizes what danger Jace was in but he feels nothing except bone crushing relief. Alec is alive. They all are. He lets himself believe it and takes comfort in Jace's grounding touch. In and out.

“Out of everyone,” and Magnus's heart leaps into his throat because that's Alec's voice, “I never thought you'd be the one who tries to steal my man.”

The next moment he's by Alec's side, hand fluttering over him before settling on his cheek. Warm. Alive. His eyes are only opened a crack but they're clear.

“Hi,” Alec croaks.

 _Hi_ , Magnus means to answer but instead he sobs.

“No, hey, Magnus. I'm fine.” Alec's hand finds his elbow and holds in reassurance, but the pressure is weak and his fingers quiver.

“I'm fine,” he repeats as more tears slip down Magnus's face, because Alec so nearly wasn't. The sense of impending loss is still lurking close, is still threatening to take Alec away from him. Magnus's hand tightens in Alec's shirt. He leans in until he feels Alec's breath on his skin, until the sigh of his exhale chases off the lingering shadows of his fear. Alive.

“I thought I'd lost you,” he chokes out at last, his voice wrecked.

“You haven't. I'm here,” Alec whispers, a promise underlying his words. He tugs Magnus closer until their foreheads touch, hands still a bit unsteady but already regaining strength.

Magnus closes his eyes and breathes him in.


End file.
